Tuesday, November 29, 2005

We all saw how much press coverage Dangermouse's Grey Album got last year. The mainstream media has really picked up on the concept. To the point where Radio 4's Front Row programme can't even review a book written with a William S. Burroughs style cutup technique without going off on a tangent about Shitmat's Rolf Harris mash-ups (but without actually playing them).

Back in the late 80s / early 90s the UK charts were full of rave and acid house remixes of kids TV themes. That underlying piece of the familiar, the recognisable, the nostalgic, suddenly brought what had been an underground scene into every living room. Suddenly everyone was exposed to a form of music that would never have got that exposure if it didn't already have that instantly recognisable quality.

As fashion, in music as much as in anything else, tends to run in circles, I wonder whether we are on the cusp of seeing something like this again. DJ Spazmo's My Sharona remix has been played on Radio 1, the Wrong Music guys have done their own hour long live session at Maide Vale, and Shitmat gets name dropped on Radio 4.

Mash-up will be coming to a TV or radio near you, soon. Personally, I can't wait to see Mully's Thomas the Tank Engine mash-up on Top Of The Pops. Bandwagon jumpers, jump on now. Those already on the bandwagon, hold tight or jump off, it's up to you.

The concept of a "mashup" is pretty tired imo. I don't want to hear an entire song over loops from another. The excitement came from the mix, not the lets-make-popular-music-out-of-the-most-popular-music idea. I mean, sure, steal anything that isn't nailed down.. but music that is both clever and lousy doesn't inspire me.

Many people seem to think that mashups should be one long HAW HAW HAW but how about going beyond and creating something other than "the beat from [x] with the vocals from [y]"?